Congratulations to Marilyn Wons (Florida) and Christopher Harner (California) who were both randomly selected to win a SET of Stephen Hunt’sJackelian novels including copies (UK Versions) of “The Court of the Air” and the new book, “The Kingdom Beyond the Waves” thanks to HarperVoyager!!! For more information about Stephen Hunt and “The Kingdom Beyond the Waves”, check out Fantasy Book Critic’s book review HERE which also includes a short Q&A with the author :)

In news, Dean Koontz and his beloved ghost-seeing fry cook, Odd Thomas, are back. Want to know what's been happening to Oddie? Watch “Odd Passenger”, a four-part mini-movie exclusively on the web. This original Odd Thomas story, set in the time between the ending of “Brother Odd” and the start of “Odd Hours” (on sale in hardcover May 20th), can be viewed, shared, and posted on your own web page. Watch Episode One below. Episode Two can be viewed HERE, Episode ThreeHERE and Episode FourHERE:

In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of EOS, HarperCollins e-books will be offering a free e-book download every two months throughout 2008. To receive your free e-book, visit HarperCollins EOS E-book Giveaway and redeem the coupon code. You may download the e-book in the format of your choice, including Adobe, Microsoft, and Mobipocket.

Currently, the May/June free e-book download is “The Serpent Bride” by Sara Douglass. Download “The Serpent Bride” and prepare for the release of “The Twisted Citadel”, the second title in the DarkGlass Mountain series by Sara Douglass. “The Twisted Citadel” will be available to purchase as an e-book on May 27th. For more information and to purchase, please visit HarperCollins.

Moving on, following its successful launch in the US in 2007, and a record year for the imprint in the UK, Orbit Books announces its intention to expand both lists. In the US, Orbit is going to double the size of the list over the next three years, taking its title output to 70-80 titles per year by 2011. In the UK, where Orbit is already the biggest SFF imprint, it will increase the size of the list by approximately 10% each year over the next three years.

Tim Holman, Orbit Publisher, said: “The support that we’ve received for our launch season in the US—and the success that we’ve achieved internationally—has given us great confidence in our publishing strategy. There is a clear and significant opportunity for any SFF publisher looking to expand the core readership, and we intend Orbit to be at the forefront of the effort to attract more readers to SF and Fantasy. We will continue to publish a wide range of authors from across the spectrum of both genres with a common purpose: to reach the widest possible readership for each. I’m thrilled that we have this opportunity to increase the size of both lists over the coming years.”

Orbit is also expanding its publishing teams. In the US, it is currently hiring an additional editor, and will be making further appointments in due course. In the UK, Bella Pagan has been promoted to Commissioning Editor, and Marketing Executive Samantha Smith has taken on a number of editorial responsibilities. Darren Turpin has also joined the imprint as an additional Marketing Executive, focusing on online marketing campaigns.

Tim Holman said: “Key to our future plans is the ongoing collaboration between our publishing teams in the US and the UK, as well as Australia, where Hachette Australia will start to publish SFF titles under the Orbit imprint later this year. We will continue to work closely together, not just on individual publishing plans for shared authors, such as bestsellers Iain M. Banks and Trudi Canavan, but also on our general publishing strategy.”

In related Orbit news, Jeff Somers new Avery Cates novel “The Digital Plague” is officially released today, and in support of the new book, Jeff has scripted another ARG-inspired puzzle. This one takes place on a messageboard where citizens of Old New York are coming to grips with the plague that’s taking over the city. Even readers who aren’t up for solving the puzzles can get a kick out of this extension of the book’s universe – with topics like “Augments: A place to discuss legal bodily augmentation” and “Elective Surgeries: A place to discuss the newest surgical techniques to extend lifespans, restore youthfulness, and defeat disease.” I actually just finished reading / reviewing “The Digital Plague” myself and enjoyed it very much, so look out for that sometime in the next several days :)

Over at PS Publishing, things are staying busy with a number of great books now available for order including the following, most of which come in two different editions (click on the links):

Last, but not least, Pyr Books has updated their book catalog which includes the following upcoming releases:

“Last Argument of Kings” by Joe Abercrombie. Release Date: September 2008. The end is coming. The king of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No one believes that the shadow of war is about to fall across the heart of the Union. Only the First of the Magi can save the world, but there are risks and no risk is more terrible, than to break the First Law… “Last Argument of Kings” is the concluding volume in The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie…

“Going Under” by Justina Robson. Release Date: September 2008. Lila Black is off with the faeries. Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015 things have been different; the dimensions have fused and suddenly our world is accessible to elves, demons, ghosts and elementals—and their worlds are open to us. Justina Robson’s new Quantum Gravity series combines her trademark themes of identity and reality, magic and technology, break-neck plots, a mischievous sense of fun, and a seriously sexy new heroine…

“The Stormcaller” by Tom Lloyd. Release Date: October 2008. In a land ruled by prophecy and the whims of gods, a young man finds himself at the heart of a war he barely understands, wielding powers he may never be able to control. Isak is a white-eye, created by the gods to bring order out of chaos, and are born bigger, more charismatic, and more powerful than normal men. Is the first book in a powerful new series that combines inspired world-building, epoch-shattering battles, and high emotion to dazzling effect...

“Starship Rebel” by Mike Resnick. Release Date: December 2008. Almost a year has passed since the events of “Starship: Mercenary”. Captain Wilson Cole now commands a fleet of almost fifty ships, and he has become the single greatest military force on the Inner Frontier. Then an incident occurs that changes everything, and Cole declares war on the Republic. It's a hopeless cause...but that's just what Wilson Cole and the Teddy R. are best at… Mike is also the author of “Stalking the Vampire” (on sale August 2008).

“End of the Century” by Chris Roberson. Release Date: January 2009. Three people. Three eras. One city. Endless possibilities. Chris Roberson’s “End of the Century” is a novel of the distant past, the unimaginable future, and the search for the Holy Grail. Set in the city of London, the narrative is interlaced between three ages, in which a disparate group of heroes, criminals, runaways, and lunatics are drawn into the greatest quest of all time. And lurking behind it all is the entity known only as Omega…

“City without End” by Kay Kenyon. Release Date: February 2009. Reviewers have called Kay Kenyon's Entire “a grand world,” “an enormous stage,” and “a bravura concept.” On this stage unfolds a mighty struggle for dominance between two universes. In the middle of it all is Titus Quinn, his estranged daughter in the fabled Rim City encircling the heart of the Entire, and the beautiful and resourceful Ji Anzi who—sent on a journey to other realms—holds the key to Quinn’s heart and his overarching mission…

“Cyberabad Days” by Ian McDonald. Release Date: February 2009. “Cyberabad Days” is a triumphant return to India 2047, a new superpower of one and a half billion people in an age of AIs, climate-change induced drought, water wars, strange new genders, genetically improved children that age at half the rate, and a population where males outnumber females four to one. This new collection of eight stories contains one Hugo nominee, one Hugo winner, and a twenty-five thousand word original novella…